Jess trying to scoot on wet sand!!  Just a few photos off grandad's camera. We have had a busy 6 weeks. The weather has been mostly good for our visitors. The kids have been busy at school too.

Sam coming first in the Year 8 traithlon for the 3rd year running.

Sam with the other winners

Evidence that grandma got to the top of the mount.

The boys (including dad) are all into fishing at the moment.

Sam catching tea!

Breakfast at the boat club with a juggling display from Sam.

Sunset at pilots bay the mount

Grandad's dinner

Grandad's small snack

Yes he has eaten at every establishment in the Bay!!

Couldnt get grandad into the kayak, some pathetic excuse about

having no shorts, we will put that right for next year!

Jess having a swim back to shore from the Kayak, No Fear of water now !!

Ice creams from the best ice cream shop ever!

Grandma and Grandad enjoying a walk on the beach.

Boys off on camp next week, they are walking across the estuary to Matakana island. They are camping there for three nights and then coming back on the ferry. There is lots of fishing, swimming, kayaking planned so they should both be exhausted for the easter holidays. Martin starts his new job tomorrow, he's is working at a different printers in town. He is now estimator and production manager. He now has to find a new coffee shop as a priority! I have been busy working towards a real estate qualification. Once I have my license I have a job in Omokoroa waiting for me.

Thats all the news for now, Mum and Dad will be heading back to sunny Britain on Tuesday with a lot more photos to show you all on their return. Its been great having them and we are looking forward to next year along with a visit from Marilyn and Trevor.

love to all

xxxx

Fishing at the Mount

Fishing at the mount, Joe's first fish ever. He managed to catch

3 altogether today.

Martin with his new rod.

He managed to catch a couple of fish too.

Sam spent hours trying to coax the crab out but it was

having none of it.

Amanda managed to catch several star fish. Jess was helping everyone

throwing their catch back in and passing bait to the fishermen. She is not squeamish at all.

Now the experienced fisherman of the family Sam caught a couple of little ones.

Although there was quite a bit of stuff caught today none of it was big enough

to keep.

We have had a lovely sunny bank holiday weekend.

Love to all xxx 

We have had Jess's 8th birthday party this week at Marshall's Farm

Here she is with 2 of her friends Ella and Sukhleen.

 Feeding time at the Zoo!!

Jess's favourite horse - the Clysdale Serocco

On the flying fox.

Sam with the guinea pigs

Jess and Rebecca.

And finally Jess's helping to clean the bowl.

Its a bank holiday weekend for us so we are off for breakfast at

the boatclub in the morning followed by some fishing..

Love to all

xxxx

 

Sam's first fishing trip, he bought a rod with his christmas money.

This is him on Omokoroa Wharf today

Sam's first catch!

We couldnt believe it when the man at the side of us started tugging

on his line and look what he caught!! A lemon shark.

When the shark was dead Jess got very brave and had

a good feel. Amanda also couldnt resist a touch!

Just think we were Kayaking and swimming in the same water the other

day!!

love to all

xxxx

Just a few photo's. We took this one from a view point in the hills of Omokoroa

We are on the long thin bit!!

Sam showing Derrick how to Kayak

Sam and Joe's 12th Birthday. They tooks some friends to the cinema and then

went for a KFC (which was horrid!!).

On their actual birthday we went to the beach and had a chinese. Here they are with their

cake afterwards.

Jess and Derrick looking over the gold mine.

Derrick and Josie on the beach on one of their very few sunny days.

Our friends have just got a puppy so here is joe cuddling Yogi.

We are taking him for a little walk a couple times a week.

Jess kind of helping grampy doing a jigsaw.

Well thats all the photos for now. The kids still have 2 and half weeks left before

they start the new year at school. Jess's birthday is coming up just before they go back.

We are off to the beach this afternoon for a swim, high tide is 4pm so we are going to go and have fun with some friends.

Happy New Year to everyone

Love to all

xxxxx

Just a few photos

Derrick and Josie having xmas lunch in the sun

The kids eating theirs, not sure who Jess is telling off

A trip to the mount hot pools.

Jess and josie in the hot pools

We had a day trip to the Coromandel, jess is on the beach in Whangamata

Joe not wanting to be on the beach at Whangamata - clearly not having as much fun

as Jess!

Jess went for the hat trick, Each year the teacher picks out 3 children who she thinks deserves recognition in the year. Jess received and award for academic excellence in Maths, Reading and Art.

She now has one for Years 1,2 & 3. How good is that.

Sam got his first this year for Excellence in his Year 7 Maths, he was so excited.

Joe got this award for Year 6 Maths last year.

Joe has been involved with Enviro Team and have set up veggie gardens

in the school grounds, so the team each got a certificate for that.

So the Millards were stars at the year end awards. We were very proud to have had them all

up on stage getting an award.

We went to the carol concert in Bethlehem, it was amazing, there was a live band performing on stage

singing christmas carols, there were 2000 people singing along, waving candles. It all finished with some fantastic fireworks. Our Bethlehem certainly knows how to put on a great christmas show.

I think thats all of our news for now.

Hope you all have had a very lovely christmas and best wishes for 2012.

love to you all

xxxx

I have found Martin's phone pics!

Sam kind of helping in the garden!

Sam and jess falling in the fence post holes!

View from our Auckland apartment

Jess freezing outside the apartment and Martin"s birthday present!!

This week, Sam and Joe have been in the school concert and played really well.

Sam doing his solo

Joe playing his guitar.

I have some pictures of Jess's sports day too but they are on my phone and I have no

idea how to get them off! Not good with technology.

We have lots of things happening this week as its the last week of the year. So will make sure I have the camera ready.

Love to allxxx